Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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21 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Probably too dense to take along, July 7, 2007
On his website, travel guru Rick Steves says that Blue Guides take "a dry and scholarly approach to the countries of Europe. They're ideal if you want to learn as much about history, art, architecture, and culture as you possibly can." This is basically true, though I much prefer a "dry and scholarly" tone to Rick's "nerdy and precious" style. He's great when it comes to practical tips, but he can't touch the historical, artistic and architectural content of the Blue Guides.
Blue Guides pack a tremendous amount of information into their pages, much more than any other guide I've used. They're wonderful for reading before and after your trip, but they're probably too dense to pack and take along for most people. Before leaving on my honeymoon to Italy, I photocopied the relevant pages of the Northern Italy book to avoid having to pack it because I knew I wouldn't be visiting most of the cities it covers. On that trip I field-tested three guides: Rick Steves, Eyewitness, and Blue Guide.
Blue Guides are not good to use as your main guide. They're far too light on practical matters such as maps, directions, hotels and restaurants, and they're not updated every year. I used Eyewitness to plan and get around and then pulled out the Blue Guide once I reached a major site. I used Rick Steves so little and found him so unhelpful that I left his books behind in hotels along the way.
Blue Guides have come a long way over the years. I was given an older edition of the Rome guide many years ago, and I couldn't believe how small the print was; it had a lot of detail but would have been very difficult to use while traveling. The publishers have learned their lesson: the current edition of the Rome guide is far easier to use and much more attractive, with colorful maps and an easier-to-read format. They've improved on the practical aspects as well, but you'll probably be in trouble if you rely on this book to get around in Rome. I recommend packing a more comprehensive one-volume guide such as Eyewitness and using Blue Guide to learn about specific sites once the other guide gets you to them. Keep Blue Guide on your shelf as an attractive reference and let it inspire you to return to Rome in the future!
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20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a fine guide to the historical/cultural sites, June 28, 2004
This book divides Rome into 29 walking tours. Each one takes about a day. Maybe you could do two per day in the summer. A few of the tours have a common theme, but most of them just cover a region of the city. The focus is on cultural/historical sites. There's very little about where to eat, sleep, or shop. The author is thorough and provides a lot of insight. The book reads as a folksy continuous narrative by a knowledgeable and perceptive guide. If you have a month in Rome, you could use this book to get a great tour.Many tourists would find this book difficult to use. Suppose you're in Rome for a few days, not nearly enough time to walk all 29 tours. There is no easy way to use this book to prioritize which sites to visit. The Michelin Green Guide has a similar aim and focus, but is much more user-friendly for a short visit. It breaks the city into a smaller number of regional walks. In general it's not quite as thorough as the Blue Guide in terms of what it says about each site and the number of sites it includes. The Michelin Guide has a system of one, two, and three stars to prioritize the sites. This makes it easy for the user to just hit the highlights.
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24 of 26 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
One Of The Most Informative Guides To Rome, February 18, 2000
By A Customer
I have been to Italy five times and I swear by the Blue Guides! I was lucky enough to get the Blue Guide Rome for Christmas, from a friend, before the first trip and I have taken that same copy every time since! From hotels to restaurants, from shopping to sightseeing, you'll find all of the important information you need to feel comfortable traveling to Rome, and more importantly, you'll feel confident as you take your daily excursions around the "eternal city". The only other book you ever need to travel around Rome is the Eyewitness Guide Rome. With those two guides, you have all the important information and pictures you'll ever need and more! I highly recommend it.
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